11 Content Marketing Trends You Should Be Following in 2019

2019 is well underway and now it’s time to make all those business resolutions a reality. We hope you’ve set your digital marketing goals for 2019 but in case you haven’t… let us share with you our list of content marketing trends you need to know about in 2019.

Content Marketing Trends for 2019

1. Developing a Content Marketing Strategy
2. Focusing on Niche Content
3. Publishing Original Content
4. Being Authentic and Transparent
5. Providing Personalized Content
6. Building a Community
7. Using Mini-Influencer Marketing
8. Using Chatbots
9. Utilizing Alternative Media Formats
10. Optimizing Your Content for Voice Search
11. Using Email marketing

Develop a killer content marketing strategy

The days of lazy marketing are over and every move your business makes online and on your social media channels needs to have a clear purpose. The key to having a content strategy is to align your business goals with the information you put out online.

Sounds logical enough, but what exactly does that mean?

Let’s look at the most common online business tools you might already be using: your website, LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram pages. What kind of posts do you have? Product or service descriptions? Testimonials? Motivational pictures? Industry humor? When do you make each posting? How does each piece of content tie into your business strategy and short-term goals?

The answers to these questions are just the tip of the iceberg on what it means to develop a content marketing strategy. Your content strategy should aim to make people:

aware of your brand

informed on what you offer

interested in how your services apply to them

develop a preference for your brand when compared to similar brands

purchase your product

If your content is solid enough to do that then turning customers into loyal customers becomes a much smaller mountain to climb.

Find your niche

With 3.1 billion active users of social media, it might be tempting to market your product to as many people as possible. With the boom of social media platforms in the last decade, that strategy would have served you well in the past. But now that the dust has settled and the web is over saturated with businesses, it’s time to dig around and find an untapped market.

Instead of a fashion brand – become a minimalist fashion brand for young business professionals. Instead of a fitness brand – transform into a fitness rehabilitation center for former army veterans. 2019 is all about honing in on a smaller audience to provide quality information and content. Think of it as being a big fish in a lake instead of a small fish in the ocean.

Be original

Although the attention span of an internet user is remarkably short, research shows that users value websites with quality original content. Long form blog posts and video content such as educational videos and webinars are all great ways to provide users with original content. Our last blog post “Benefits of Blogging for Your Business” explains all about using blog posts to be an authority in your industry. And just remember, although clickbait content is tempting to put out – don’t risk alienating your audience with dirty tricks for cheap clicks.

Let your audience see the real you – authentic and transparent

Your content needs to reflect the values and voice that your company represents. Whether you stand for sustainability, ecological friendliness, or profit transparency… if your company talks the talk but can’t walk the walk, you can bet that consumers will go elsewhere. This means that anytime you create content, whether it’s a video on your company’s YouTube channel or a LinkedIn article, you need to be straightforward and honest with the information you present. Consumers want a reason to support your brand, so give them a good one.

Make it personal

Online consumers are careful about where they spend their money and prefer brands that value them as customers. Providing personalized content online gives your brand the opportunity to engage with your target audience. Here are some examples of what you can do:

Using the “poll” function on Facebook to get customer feedback

Adjusting the home page of your website for logged in members based on their preferences.
Creating interactive tools to educate your audience on a subject related to your brand.

2019 is all about delivering bespoke experiences and engaging with your audience, and providing personalized content is just the first step.

Connect and collaborate with your community

Besides engaging with your target audience, your business will benefit from collaborating with other brands. Think about what your business offers and what products or services are related but aren’t your direct competitors. Collaborations like Nike & Apple and Uber & Spotify show that businesses can expand their customer base by examining how consumers use their services.

Not ready to create a full new line of products?

Not to worry… collaborative blogs and videos, podcast interviews, or social media “guest spots” are all easy places to start.

Use Mini-Influencers

Another way to build a community is to connect with social media “influencers” to spread the word about your company. At first glance, influencer marketing might seem like celebrity endorsement but it’s not just offering someone (with a lot of followers on social media) money to say nice things about you.

An influencer is someone who becomes successful by fostering a personal and authentic connection with their followers. This allows them to be seen as trustworthy and is a status that every company seeks. In order to reap the benefits of this delicate status, you need to identify influencers that are an “organic” match for your company and agree on cooperation that will be mutually beneficial.

Robots are taking over anyway, so use them

Studies have shown that being responsive is the leading cause of “sealing the deal” and getting consumers to purchase a product (even when compared to offering promotions). To avoid employing staff that fields customer questions 24/7, employing chatbots can help your business stay connected and responsive at all times.

Chatbots have been developed as a result of natural language processing and are able to engage in simple conversations with customers to solve simple issues. They can answer open-ended questions, maintain a friendly tone of voice, retain customers’ information.

You don’t need to be a media genius, but you do need a creative spark

Having a social media presence is a great start but you are doing your company a disservice if you are not utilizing all the tools at your disposal. Posting photos, videos, articles, and promotions are just the foundation. 2019 is a time to branch out and try these new marketing trends:

Facebook Live Videos

Instagram’s Stories and IGTV

360° photos

Augmented reality

Live-streaming on your website

Podcasts

It can be intimidating to try new formats but don’t be scared to test the waters. Find out which format helps you tell your company’s story (trend #1) and run with it.

Voice search is the future

Sales reports on the Amazon Echo and Google Home show that people are thrilled by the idea of speaking to a machine that responds back. These machines, mobile personal assistants, not only talk back but provide users with information that would have previously been sought after on a computer. Add in Apple’s beloved Siri and it’s clear that using voice-activated services is a trend that is sharply on the rise.

So what does this mean for your website’s SEO?

For one, you need to adapt your content to a natural language search. Instead of only breaking up questions and answers into keywords and phrases, be sure to include full-sentences that reflect how users would search something if they spoke rather than typed the query. Remember that spoken and written English are different and include phrases that are natural when selecting your target keywords.

Skyrocket your sales using email marketing

Email marketing has been around for a long time because it’s cost-effective, simple, and easy to analyze. It’s certainly worth it to continue using this strategy but just as internet users evolve, you need to evolve how you use it as well. In 2019, focus on:

Minimalistic design – include the minimum to carry your message
Visual storytelling – use white space and color theory to guide the reader’s attention
Mobile optimization – divide blocks of text and include limited images and video

Taking your business online and onto social media was a great first step in 2018. But if you really want to let your business get ahead of the curve, be sure to follow these content marketing trends in 2019.